Dear Members
The following plea was received today, It is sent to you for support and help. Lebanon is calling you, do respond and carry on your patriotic duty. Dr. Mugraby is human rights advocate, do not let him alone.
Yours truly
Elias Bejjani
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Dear friends:
Please consider this letter as an EXTREMELY urgent action alert concerning Dr. Muhamad Mugraby, a prominent Beirut international lawyer  who is well known to most of   you. His human rights credentials include an award by Human Rights Watch (1997) and an unprecedented joint letter on his behalf in 1996 by Amnesty International, the Lawyers Committee for Human Rights, FIDH and Human Rights Watch, joined by ICJ.
This morning, Ad-Dyar, a Beirut newspaper, carried a leading front page article cautioning of general concern among Lebanese lawyers for the battering last week of Attorney Salim Gharious by unknown assailants and the  imminent arrest of Dr. Mugraby without following the legal procedures.  Ad-Dyar speculated that the expected unlawful arrest of Dr. Mugraby would lead to an open general nation wide strike by lawyers.  Mr. Gharious has been hospitalized for the last eight days and was operated upon for the injuries he sustained.
Dr. Mugraby is being harassed by elements of the Lebanese Government and he risks arrest and imprisonment for his latest work against corruption. Please refer to his plea letter dated April 29, 2000. We know that Dr. Mugraby’s continuing efforts to uphold human rights in Lebanon will not stop because of this latest harassment. We just want to make sure the critical and sensitive period our country is passing through will not serve as an excuse to silence him while the world is busy monitoring the Israeli withdrawal from South Lebanon.
This is the fourth time that Dr. Mugraby is being threatened because of his human rights work.  There are two lawsuits pending before the Beirut court of appeals by the Beirut prosecutors aimed at striping him of his lawyer’s immunity because of a fax he sent to Amnesty International and allegations brought by Solidere, the real estate development company that holds a controversial and unconstitutional concession over central Beirut.
We urge you to:
- Read his letter if you have not read it yet. (attached)
- Write letters to the list of Lebanese officials as well as UN bodies at: (list below)
Or Send the suggested letter by just adding your name.(letter below)
- Forward this email to as many people as possible.
We are in the process of posting full documentation on the case on the Internet.  We will let you know in time but please appreciate that this will take some time to realize and your support is needed NOW!
Thank you for your continuous support.
Kamal el Batal
Director
kelbatal@mirsad.org.lb
www.mirsad.org.lb


Name, Title, Fax, e-mail
- General Emile Lahoud, President of the Republic, +961-5-451217, opendoor@presidency.gov.lb
- Dr. Salim el Hoss, Prime Minister, +961-1-354.929, marasem@pcm.gov.lb
- Mr. Joseph Chaoul, Minister of Justice, +961-1-425670, minister@justice.gov.lb, justice2@justice.gov.lb
- Mr. Adnan Addoum, Prosecutor General, +961-1-423790
- Ms. Mary Robinson, High Commissioner for Human Rights, +41-22-917-9016, webadmin.hchr@unog.ch
- The Lebanese Embassy or Consulate near you.
Letter to copy and paste in new email:
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Dear Sir,
We wish to express our  great concern regarding the latest harassment Dr. Muhamad Mugraby is being subjected to. We understand that Lebanon is going through a critical period that we are monitoring very closely.  We are sure that you would not want to tarnish Lebanon’s image by allowing the harassment of a renown human rights defender whose only alleged  crime is the quest for integrity in the justice system.
As you know, Dr. Mugraby has been a leading and fearless human rights defender. We would like to refer you to the latest decision of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights on 27 April 2000 to name an envoy to monitor the treatment of human rights defenders. This envoy will intervene here, as this is a blatant violation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in December 1948 and of the Declaration on Human Rights Defenders adopted by the U.N. General Assembly in December 1998.
We call on you to intervene and/or take immediate action in this case to stop and prevent further abuse of the law and the power to prosecute in any case involving Dr. Muhamad Mugraby.  Please understand that Dr. Mugraby’s safety and well being is a major concern to us as well as to the entire international human rights community.
Respectfully Yours
(Name)